CN111609653A

CN111609653A - Entrance refrigerator and refrigerator

Info

Publication number: CN111609653A
Application number: CN202010111000.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴旼奎; 崔圭宽; 吕寅善; 金珉奭; 李得远; 尹睿槽
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2019-02-25
Filing date: 2020-02-24
Publication date: 2020-09-01
Also published as: EP3699526A1; US11293684B2; US20200271371A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an inlet refrigerator and a refrigerator. In the inlet refrigerator, the thermoelectric module including the cold sink is connected to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane such that one of left and right ends of an upper surface of the cold sink is inclined higher than the other.

Description

Entrance refrigerator and refrigerator

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator installed at an entrance of a building such as a home or a business.

Background

Recently, a delivery service for delivering fresh goods to a predetermined place is being utilized. In particular, when the item is fresh food, the delivery vehicle is provided with a refrigerator or a warmer to store and deliver the food, thereby preventing the food from being deteriorated or cooled.

Typically, food is packaged in packaging material and delivered to keep the food cool or warm depending on the type of food. The packaging material is typically composed of environmental contaminants such as polystyrene foam. Recently, social ambitions have emphasized reducing the amount of packaging material used.

When the user is at home while at delivery, the delivery person may deliver the food to the user in a face-to-face manner. However, it is difficult for the delivery person to deliver the food in a face-to-face manner when the user is not at home or when the delivery time is too early or too late.

Therefore, it is desirable to be able to deliver food even if the delivery person is not facing the user, and to prevent the food from deteriorating or cooling until the food is finally delivered to the user.

In order to solve this problem, in recent years, products in which a refrigerator is installed at an entrance (e.g., a front door) of a predetermined place such that a delivery person can deliver food into the refrigerator in order to keep the food fresh until a user can contain the food by accessing the refrigerator at a convenient time have been introduced.

Korean patent application publication 2011-0033394 (2011-3/31) discloses an inlet refrigerator mounted on a front door.

When the temperature of the storage compartment of the inlet refrigerator is lower than the outside temperature, condensate may form on the bottom of the storage compartment.

When the outdoor side door of the inlet refrigerator is opened, outdoor air may enter the storage compartment, and when the indoor side door of the inlet refrigerator is opened, indoor air may enter the storage compartment.

In particular, in summer, the temperature and humidity of the indoor air and the outdoor air are higher than the temperature and humidity inside the storage compartment. Therefore, in the process of cooling the indoor air or the outdoor air, which has entered the storage compartment, to the temperature of the storage compartment, water contained in the indoor air or the outdoor air may condense on the bottom plate, the wall, or the ceiling of the storage compartment.

Due to gravity, condensate forming on the ceiling of the storage compartment may fall to the bottom of the storage compartment, and condensate forming on the walls of the storage compartment or on the surface of the stored items may flow down to the bottom of the storage compartment.

In addition, when the items stored in the storage compartment are vegetables, water running down from the stored items themselves may also run to the bottom of the storage compartment.

If the water collected at the bottom of the storage compartment is not removed quickly, bacteria and mold may grow at the bottom of the storage compartment, deteriorating the hygiene of the stored goods.

In addition, when the storage compartment is switched to a freezing storage mode below a freezing temperature while water is present at the bottom of the storage compartment, ice may form on the bottom or walls of the storage compartment. In addition, as the size of ice increases with time, the space of the storage compartment is narrowed.

Therefore, there is a need for a method for rapidly draining water collected on the bottom of the storage compartment to the outside of the storage compartment.

In addition, in the case of an inlet refrigerator provided with a cool air supply device including a thermoelectric module for cooling a storage compartment, there is a need for a method for rapidly discharging condensate formed on a surface of a cold sink (cold sink) of the thermoelectric module to the outside of the inlet refrigerator.

In particular, when the storage compartment is maintained at a temperature below the external temperature, condensation may occur on the surface of the cold sink attached to the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element. In order to eliminate the condensate, a defrosting operation of evaporating the condensate needs to be performed. The defrosting operation may be performed, for example, by applying a reverse voltage to the thermoelectric element.

As a result, while the defrosting operation is performed, heat generated in the cold sink permeates into the storage compartment, causing a problem of increasing the temperature of the storage compartment.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure has been proposed as a solution to the above-mentioned problems.

That is, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an inlet refrigerator capable of rapidly removing water accumulated on the bottom of a storage compartment.

In addition, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an inlet refrigerator that can quickly remove condensate from the surface of the cold sink of the thermoelectric module.

To achieve the above object, an inlet refrigerator according to one embodiment may include a cabinet installed to pass through a front door or wall, defining a storage compartment for storing items therein, and having a through hole formed at a bottom of the storage compartment. The bottom of the storage compartment may include a main floor (main floor) and a sub floor (subfloor) lower than the main floor, the sub floor having a through hole formed at the center thereof.

The inlet refrigerator may include a thermoelectric module mounted in the through-hole. The thermoelectric module may include a thermoelectric element, a cold sink disposed on a heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element, and a hot sink disposed on a heat emitting surface of the thermoelectric element.

The thermoelectric module may be arranged to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane such that one of left and right ends of an upper surface of the cold sink is formed to be higher than the other. In other words, the thermoelectric modules may be arranged to be inclined such that the heat absorbing surface is not parallel to the horizontal plane. The discharge hole may be formed in the subfloor.

Accordingly, the condensate formed on the surface of the cold sink may be discharged to the outside of the inlet refrigerator through the discharge hole.

Further, the mounting plate may be disposed on the sub-floor. The discharge hole may be formed at a portion of the mounting plate corresponding to the position of the discharge hole of the sub-base plate.

A drain port in communication with the drain hole may extend from a bottom surface of a cabinet defining a storage compartment of the inlet refrigerator.

A drain tank may be mounted on a bottom surface of the cabinet to allow water drained from the drain port to be collected in the drain tank.

The housing may be mounted on a bottom surface of the cabinet, and the drain box may be detachably mounted on the cabinet such that the drain box may be drawn out to the outside of the housing.

In addition, the housing may be provided with an opening/closing port allowing the drain tank to be drawn out, and a protective cover may be mounted on the opening/closing port.

The inlet refrigerator configured as above according to one embodiment has the following effects.

The bottom of the storage compartment may be designed to be inclined to one side, and a discharge hole may be formed at a point of collecting water falling on the bottom of the storage compartment, thereby rapidly discharging the water collected on the bottom of the storage compartment to the outside of the storage compartment through the discharge hole.

In addition, since the drain tank is installed below the cabinet and directly below the drain hole, water discharged through the drain hole may be collected in the drain tank. As a result, water discharged through the discharge hole can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the inlet refrigerator and falling onto the floor of the inlet.

In addition, the drain tank may be detachably coupled to a bottom surface of the cabinet, or the drain tank may be pulled out from a housing that accommodates the drain tank. Therefore, there is an advantage in that an operation of discarding the water filled in the drain tank can be easily performed.

In addition, when the thermoelectric module of the cold air supply device is mounted on the bottom of the cabinet, the cold sink is installed to be inclined toward the discharge hole such that condensed water generated on the surface of the cold sink flows toward the discharge hole along the surface of the cold sink. Therefore, the growth of frost or ice on the surface of the cold sink can be prevented.

In addition, by designing the cold sink such that the upper surface of the cold sink is inclined, even if the thermoelectric module is coupled to the cabinet in a horizontal state, water generated on the surface of the cold sink can rapidly flow toward the discharge hole. Therefore, the growth of frost or ice on the surface of the cold sink can be prevented.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of an inlet refrigerator installed at a front door according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a side view of an inlet refrigerator installed at a front door according to one embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of an inlet refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of an inlet refrigerator according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of an inlet refrigerator according to one embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of an inlet refrigerator according to an embodiment in a state where an outdoor side door is removed for clarity of illustration.

Fig. 7 is a rear perspective view of an inlet refrigerator according to an embodiment in a state where an indoor side door is removed for clarity of illustration.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an inlet refrigerator according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a mounting plate of an inlet refrigerator according to one embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a cabinet constituting an inlet refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a partial perspective view illustrating a bottom surface of the cabinet with the drain tank mounted thereon.

Fig. 12 is a partial perspective view showing a state where the drain tank and the cabinet are separated.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a drain box of an inlet refrigerator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a cut-away perspective view of a cool air supplying apparatus of an inlet refrigerator according to an embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inlet refrigerator taken along line 15-15 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 16 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inlet refrigerator taken along line 16-16 in FIG. 10.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view of an entrance refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment installed at a front door of a building (e.g., a house), and fig. 2 is a side view of the entrance refrigerator 10 installed at the front door according to an embodiment.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, an inlet refrigerator 10 according to this embodiment may be installed by passing through an appropriately sized opening in the front door 1 or the front wall of the house.

In detail, the inlet refrigerator 10 may be installed at a point spaced apart from the handle 2 of the front door 1, for example, the inlet refrigerator 10 may be installed at the center of the front door 1.

In addition, the entrance refrigerator 10 is preferably installed at a height within two meters from the bottom of the front door 1 to facilitate a user and to facilitate delivery of items to a delivery person of the entrance refrigerator 10. Preferably, the inlet refrigerator 10 may be installed at a height ranging from 1.5 meters to 1.7 meters from the bottom of the front door 1.

A portion of the inlet refrigerator 10 is exposed to the outside O (outdoor) and another portion of the inlet refrigerator 10 is exposed to the inside I (indoor). For example, in the inlet refrigerator 10, the surface exposed to the outside O may be defined as a front surface (or an outdoor portion) at a front side (outside) of the door or wall, and the surface exposed to the inside I may be defined as a rear surface (or an indoor portion) at a rear side (inside) of the door or wall. The door or wall provides a barrier in or around a building (such as, but not limited to, a house, apartment, office, hospital, etc.).

Hereinafter, the configuration of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of the inlet refrigerator 10, fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the inlet refrigerator 10, and fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment.

Referring to fig. 3 to 5, an inlet refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment may include a cabinet 11, an outdoor side door 12, an indoor side door 13, and a case 15.

The cabinet 11 has a front opening provided in a portion of the cabinet 11 on the front (outer) side of the door or the outer wall, and a rear opening provided in a portion of the cabinet 11 on the rear (inner) side of the door or the inner wall. The cabinet 11 may have a generally hexahedral shape having a front wall and a rear wall interconnected by a plurality of side walls. The front opening may be provided in the front wall of the cabinet 11 and the rear opening may be provided in the rear wall of the cabinet 11, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the front opening and the rear opening may be disposed at the same side of the cabinet 11 according to a location where the inlet refrigerator 10 is installed. The outdoor side door 12 may be rotatably coupled to the cabinet 11 so as to selectively open or close a front opening of the cabinet 11. The outdoor side door 12 can be opened by a delivery person to store items in the inlet refrigerator 10. In addition, the user can open the outdoor side door 12 to take out articles from the inlet refrigerator 10.

Here, the term "user" is defined as a person who has ordered items stored in the entrance refrigerator 10 by delivery personnel, or a person who has the right to release items from the entrance refrigerator 10.

In addition, the indoor side door 13 may be rotatably coupled to the cabinet 11 so as to selectively open or close a rear opening of the cabinet 11.

A display 14 may be provided on the outdoor side door 12. The display 14 may display information about the operating state of the inlet refrigerator 10, the internal temperature of the inlet refrigerator 10, and whether or not articles are present in the inlet refrigerator 10.

In addition, a delivery person delivering an item may enter a password or the like through the display 14 to open the outdoor side door 12.

A code scanner for identifying an encrypted code provided in a shipping order or a shipping box may be provided on one side of the outdoor side door 12.

The indoor side door 13 is used indoors by a user to take out articles stored in the inlet refrigerator 10. That is, the user can open the indoor side door 13 to take out articles from the inlet refrigerator 10 and put them into the room.

The guide lamp 131 may be disposed at one side of the indoor side door 13. The guide lamp 131 may be a device for informing a user whether or not articles are currently stored in the inlet refrigerator 10. For example, the color of the guide lamp 131 may be differently set according to whether articles are stored in the inlet refrigerator 10 or whether the inlet refrigerator 10 is empty. Even if the indoor side door 13 is not opened, the user can recognize whether or not there is an article currently being stored.

The housing 15 is provided at the lower end of the cabinet 11, either integrally as part of the cabinet 11 or as a separate element attached to the cabinet 11. A cold air supply device 30 (cold air supplier) described later is accommodated in the casing 15. When the inlet refrigerator 10 is mounted on the front door 1 or the wall, the front surface of the case 15 is in close proximity to the rear surface of the front door 1 or the wall, and the contact between a portion of the front surface of the case 15 and the rear surface of the front door 1 or the wall cancels out the moment due to the eccentric load of the inlet refrigerator 10 within the opening of the front door 1 or the wall.

In detail, the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment has a structural feature in which the volume of a portion exposed to the inside of the front door 1 is greater than the volume of a portion exposed to the outside of the room. Therefore, the center of gravity of the inlet refrigerator 10 is formed at a point eccentric rearward from the center of the inlet refrigerator 10. As a result, a moment is generated by the load of the inlet refrigerator 10 and the load of the articles stored therein. With this arrangement, it is possible for the inlet refrigerator 10 to pull out the front door 1 due to moment.

However, since the front surface of the case 15 contacts the front door 1 or the rear surface of the wall, the moment acting on the inlet refrigerator 10 is cancelled, thereby preventing the inlet refrigerator 10 from being separated from the front door 1.

A pair of guide ducts 16 may be provided at left and right edges of the bottom surface of the housing 15. The discharge port 161 is formed at a front end of each guide duct 16 so that the indoor air flowing into the cool air supply device 30 in the case 15 and performing a heat dissipation function can be discharged out of the case 15.

The guide plate 18 may be provided on an inclined surface of the cabinet 11 formed by the bottom surface of the cabinet 11 and the front surface of the housing 15. The function of the guide plate 18 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

An opening for sucking indoor air may be formed in a bottom surface of the case 15, and a suction plate 17 may be installed at the opening. A plurality of through holes 171 may be formed in the suction plate 17, and indoor air is introduced into the case 15 through the plurality of through holes 171. At least a portion of the indoor air introduced into the casing 15 is discharged back to the outside of the casing 15 through the discharge port 161 of the guide duct 16.

Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment in a state where the outdoor side door 12 is removed for clarity of illustration, and fig. 7 is a rear perspective view of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment in a state where the indoor side door 13 is removed for clarity of illustration.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, a storage compartment 111 in which items may be stored is provided within the cabinet 11. The storage compartment 111 may be considered a main body of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment.

A tray 19 on which items are placed may be provided at a lower portion of the storage compartment 111.

In addition, a guide rib 25 may be formed along a rear edge of the cabinet 11. The guide rib 25 may protrude from the rear surface of the cabinet 11 by a predetermined distance and extend along an edge of the cabinet 11. The guide ribs 25 are provided to guide some of the air discharged from the housing 15 upward to an area surrounding the indoor side door 13, thereby preventing condensate from forming on the gasket 22 surrounding the rear surface of the indoor side door 13.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment.

Referring to fig. 8, as described above, the inlet refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment may include a cabinet 11, an indoor side door 13, an outdoor side door 12, a case 15, a guide duct 16, a suction plate 17, and a tray 19.

The inlet refrigerator 10 may further include a base plate 20 disposed at the bottom of the cabinet 11. The tray 19 may be disposed above the substrate 20. The bottom surface of the tray 19 may be spaced upward from the substrate 20.

The inlet refrigerator 10 may further include a cool air supply device 30 accommodated in the case 15.

The cool air supply device 30 may be a device using a thermoelectric element (peltier element), but the cool air supply device 30 is not limited thereto. For example, a general cooling cycle may be applied to the cool air supply device 30.

When an electric current is supplied to the thermoelectric element, one surface of the thermoelectric element serves as a heat absorbing surface whose temperature is decreased, and the other surface of the thermoelectric element serves as a heat generating surface whose temperature is increased. In addition, when the direction of the current supplied to the thermoelectric element is changed, the heat absorbing surface and the heat generating surface are exchanged.

The structure and function of the cool air supply device 30 will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The inlet refrigerator 10 may further include a mounting plate 24 mounted on the bottom of the cabinet 11 and a guide 23 mounted on an upper surface of the mounting plate 24.

In addition, the guide 23 may be understood as a means for forming a flow passage of air inside the storage compartment 111 forcibly flowed by the heat absorbing fan 33.

The base plate 20 may be disposed above the flow guide 23 to minimize the possibility that foreign substances may directly fall on the flow guide 23.

An outer gasket 21 is provided on the inside of the outdoor side door 12 facing the cabinet 11, and an inner gasket 22 is provided on the inside of the indoor side door 13 facing the cabinet 11. The outer gasket 21 and the inner gasket 22 prevent cool air inside the storage compartment 111 from leaking to the outside of the inlet refrigerator 10. Alternatively, the outer gasket 21 may be provided on a portion of the cabinet 11 facing the inside of the outdoor side door 12, and the inner gasket 22 may be provided on a portion of the cabinet 11 facing the inside of the indoor side door 13. The portion of the cabinet 11 may be a contact shoulder 115 described later. The outer gasket 21 and the inner gasket 22 prevent cool air inside the storage compartment 111 from leaking to the outside of the inlet refrigerator 10.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a mounting plate of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment.

Referring to fig. 9, the mounting plate 24 according to an embodiment may have a shape in which a rectangular plate is bent a plurality of times.

In detail, the mounting plate 24 may include a deflector seating portion 241, a front flange 244, and a rear flange 245.

The flow guide 23 is disposed right above the flow guide seating portion 241, and a space formed between the flow guide 23 and the flow guide seating portion 241 may be defined as a cool air supply flow passage. The temperature of the cool air flowing due to the heat absorption fan 33 is lowered while passing through the cool bath 32. The cool air is distributed to the left and right sides of the cool bath 32 and flows into the left and right lower sides of the storage compartment 111 along the cool air supply flow passage.

A through hole 242 may be formed at the center of the guide seating part 241, and a portion of the cool air supplying device 30 may pass through the through hole 242 and be installed in the through hole 242. In detail, the cold sink 32 is disposed in the through hole 242 such that the cold air passing through the cold sink 32 and the water formed on the cold sink 32 flow to the guide seating portion 241. The flow of the cold air passing through the cold sink 32 and the flow of the condensate formed on the surface of the cold sink 32 will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The guide seating part 241 may include a left guide seating part 241a formed at the left side of the through hole 242 and a right guide seating part 241b formed at the right side of the through hole 242.

In addition, the discharge hole 243 may be formed in one or both of the left and right

guide seating portions

241a and 241 b. Here, an example in which the later-described discharge hole 243, discharge port, and discharge tank are provided only on the left side of the through hole 242 is described, but it is noted that the discharge hole 243, discharge port, and discharge tank may be provided on the right side of the through hole 242. However, for convenience of description, an example in which they are formed only on the left side of the through-hole 242 is described below.

In addition, the bottom (i.e., the left baffle seating portion 241a in the present embodiment) where the discharge hole 243 is formed to be inclined to guide water toward the discharge hole 243.

That is, left and right edges of the left baffle seating portion 241a are preferably designed to be higher than the discharge holes 243. Similarly, the front and rear ends of the left baffle seating portion 241a may be designed to be higher than the discharge hole 243.

The front flange 244 may include a vertical portion 244a extending upward from the front end of the baffle seating portion 241 and a horizontal portion 244b extending forward from the upper end of the vertical portion 244 a. The vertical portion 244a does not necessarily need to be perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the horizontal portion 244b does not necessarily need to be the same plane as the horizontal plane. In other words, the front flange 244 is sufficiently curved along the contour of the seating shoulder 111d (see fig. 16) formed at the bottom of the cabinet 11.

Similarly, the rear flange 245 may also include a vertical portion 245a and a horizontal portion 245b to seat on the seating shoulder 111 d. The vertical portion 245a of the rear flange 245 does not necessarily need to be perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the horizontal portion 245b does not necessarily need to be the same plane as the horizontal plane.

Guide ribs 246 may extend downward from left and right edges of the through-hole 242, respectively, to help hold the cool air supply device 30 in place.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a cabinet 11 constituting an inlet refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment, fig. 11 is a partial perspective view showing a bottom surface of the cabinet 11 on which a drain tank is mounted, and fig. 12 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which the drain tank is separated from the cabinet 11.

The cabinet 11 may include a first portion 112 (outer portion) inserted through the front door 1 or wall and a second portion 113 (inner portion) exposed to the interior.

The lower end of the second portion 113 may extend further downward than the lower end of the first portion 112. In detail, a front surface of the second portion 113 extending downward from a rear end of the bottom of the first portion 112 may be defined as a door contact surface 114. Similar to the front surface of the case 15, the door contact surface 114 prevents the inlet refrigerator 10 from being separated from the front door 1 or the wall due to moment.

The contact shoulder 115 may be formed at a point spaced apart from the front end of the cabinet 11 rearward by a predetermined distance.

The contact shoulder 115 may protrude from the inner circumferential surface of the cabinet 11 by a predetermined height, and may have a rectangular band shape extending along the inner circumferential surface of the cabinet 11.

The rectangular opening defined along the inner edge of the contact shoulder 115 may define an entrance portion for items to enter or exit the storage compartment 111.

The space between the front end of the cabinet 11 and the front surface of the contact shoulder 115 may be defined as an outdoor side door accommodating portion that receives the outdoor side door 12.

In a state where the outdoor side door 12 is closed, the outer gasket 21 is in close contact with the front surface of the contact shoulder 115 to prevent the cool air from leaking from the storage compartment 111.

The longitudinal cross-section of the storage compartment 111 defined at the rear of the contact shoulder 115 may have the same dimensions as the longitudinal cross-section of the inlet portion. That is, the bottom surface of the storage compartment 111 may be coplanar with an upper edge of the contact shoulder 115 extending from the inner peripheral surface of the bottom of the cabinet 11. The bottom surface of the storage compartment 111 may include a substrate 20.

In addition, left and right side surfaces of the storage compartment 111 may be coplanar with inner edges of the contact shoulder 115 extending from left and right inner peripheral surfaces of the cabinet 11, respectively.

Finally, the top surface of the storage compartment 111 may be coplanar with a lower edge of the contact shoulder 115 extending from the inner peripheral surface of the upper end of the cabinet 11.

In summary, it can be appreciated that the inner peripheral surface of the storage compartment 111 is coplanar with the inner edge of the contact shoulder 115.

However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the bottom surface of the storage compartment 111 may be coplanar with the bottom surface of the outdoor side door receiving portion.

In detail, the contact shoulder 115 may be described as including a lower shoulder 115a, a left shoulder 115b, a right shoulder (see fig. 6), and an upper shoulder 115c, and the bottom surface (bottom plate) of the storage compartment 111 may be designed to be lower than the upper edge of the lower shoulder 115 a.

In addition, the left and right side surfaces of the storage compartment 111 may be designed to be wider than the inner edges of the left and right shoulders 115b and 115 b.

Finally, the upper surface (ceiling) of the storage compartment 111 may be designed to be higher than the lower edge of the upper shoulder 115 c.

According to this structure, the width and height of the storage compartment 111 may be formed to be greater than those of the inlet portion.

The slot 116 may be formed at the bottom of the cabinet 11, which corresponds to the bottom of the outdoor side door receiving portion.

The point at which the slot 116 is formed may be described as a point spaced a predetermined distance rearward from the front end of the cabinet 11 or a point spaced a predetermined distance forward from the front surface of the contact shoulder 115.

The slot 116 may be formed closer to the contact shoulder 115 than the front end of the cabinet 11. When air having a relatively high temperature and discharged from the case 15 rises, the air may be introduced into the outdoor side door receiving portion of the cabinet 11 through the slot 116.

The air flowing through the slot 116 flows along the edge of the outer gasket 21 to evaporate any condensation that may form on the outer gasket 21.

In detail, the inwardly stepped portion 119 may be formed in a bottom surface of the cabinet 11 corresponding to the first portion 112 and in a front surface of the cabinet 11 corresponding to the second portion 113. The inwardly stepped portion 119 is surrounded by the guide plate 18, and an air flow passage 119a is formed between the guide plate 18 and the inwardly stepped portion 119. The lower end of the air flow passage 119a communicates with the inside of the housing 15, and the upper end of the air flow passage 119a is connected to the slit 116.

Due to this structure, the relatively high-temperature air discharged from the housing 15 moves along the air flow passage 119a and flows into the slot 116. The air flowing through the slot 116 flows along the edge of the outer gasket 21 to evaporate any condensation that may form on the outer gasket 21.

The mounting plate seating portion 117 may be formed on an inner bottom surface of the cabinet 11, particularly, on a bottom surface of the cabinet 11 corresponding to the second portion 113, with a predetermined depth.

The seating shoulder 111d may have a stepped shape at each of the front and rear surfaces of the mounting plate seating portion 117. The seating shoulder 111d may include a front seating shoulder and a rear seating shoulder.

The front seating shoulder may have a stepped shape extending from the bottom surface of the mounting plate seating portion 117 by a predetermined height and protruding forward from the front surface of the mounting plate seating portion 117.

The rear seating shoulder may have a stepped shape extending from the bottom surface of the mounting plate seating portion 117 by a predetermined height and protruding rearward from the rear surface of the mounting plate seating portion 117.

A through hole 118 is formed on the bottom surface of the mounting plate seating portion 117.

The bottom surface of the mounting plate seating portion 117 includes a left discharge floor 111e formed at the left side of the through-hole 118 and a right discharge floor 111g formed at the right side of the through-hole 118.

The mounting plate 24 may be seated on the bottom of the mounting plate seating portion 117. The bottom of the mounting plate seating portion 117 is designed to be inclined in the same shape as the bottom of the mounting plate 24 such that the bottom of the mounting plate 24 is in close contact with the bottom of the mounting plate seating portion 117.

That is, the left guide seating portion 241a of the mounting plate 24 may be in close contact with the left discharge bottom plate 111e, and the right guide seating portion 241b may be in close contact with the right discharge bottom plate 111 g.

The discharge hole 111f may be formed in the bottom surface of the mounting plate seating portion 117, and the center of the discharge hole 111f may be placed on the same vertical line as the center of the discharge hole 243 formed in the mounting plate 24. The diameters of the two

discharge holes

111f and 243 may be formed to be the same.

In addition, the through-hole 242 of the mounting board 24 may be formed to have the same size as the through-hole 118 of the mounting board seating portion 117, and the centers of the through-hole 242 and the through-hole 118 may be placed on the same vertical line.

The bottom of the storage compartment 111 may include a front bottom plate 111a, a left side bottom plate 111b, and a right side bottom plate 111c (see fig. 15) in addition to the mounting plate seating portion 117.

A front bottom plate 111a is formed in front of the mounting-plate seating portion 117, and a left side bottom plate 111b and a right side bottom plate 111c are formed at left and right sides of the mounting-plate seating portion 117, respectively.

The bottom of the storage compartment 111 other than the mounting plate seating portion 117, in other words, the front bottom plate 111a, the left side bottom plate 111b, and the right side bottom plate 111c may be defined as a main bottom plate, and the left discharge bottom plate 111e and the right discharge bottom plate 111g may be defined as sub-bottom plates.

The front bottom plate 111a may be formed to be inclined to be lowered from the front end toward the mounting plate seating portion 117 so that water falling on the front bottom plate 111a flows down toward the mounting plate seating portion 117.

Similarly, the left and right

side bottom plates

111b and 111c may also be designed to be inclined to be lowered toward the mounting plate seating portion 117 so that water falling on the left and right

side bottom plates

111b and 111c flows down toward the mounting plate seating portion 117.

The cool air supply device 30 passes through the through

holes

118 and 242 such that an upper portion of the cool air supply device 30 is partially exposed to the storage compartment and a lower portion of the cool air supply device 30 is partially exposed to the inside of the case 15.

As shown in fig. 12, the discharge port 111h may protrude downward from the outer bottom surface of the cabinet 11 by a predetermined length. The upper opening of the discharge port 111h communicates with a discharge hole 111f formed in the bottom of the mounting plate seating portion 117.

In addition, a drain tank 50 is mounted on an outer bottom surface of the cabinet 11 to store water drained from the drain port 111 h.

Hereinafter, the structure of the drain tank 50 will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a drain tank 50 of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to one embodiment.

Referring to fig. 13, the discharge tank 50 may be formed in a hexahedral shape in which a portion of the upper surface and the side surface of the discharge tank 50 is opened, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto.

The drain tank 50 may include a bottom 51, a front 52, a rear 53, a left side 54, a right side 55, and an open upper portion.

The short side of the bottom 51 may be defined as the width and the long side of the bottom 51 may be defined as the length.

The front portion 52 extends upward from the front end of the bottom portion 51 by a predetermined height, and a fastening rib 521 protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the upper end thereof. Fastening holes 522 are formed in the fastening ribs 521.

The rear portion 53 extends upward from the rear end of the bottom portion 51 by a predetermined height, and the fastening rib 531 protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the upper end thereof. Fastening holes 532 are formed in the fastening ribs 531.

The upper ends of the front 52 and the rear 53 may be on the same plane and may be in close contact with the bottom surface of the cabinet 11.

The left side portion 54 may extend upward from the left end of the bottom portion 51 by the same height as the front portion 52. A left recess 541 may be formed in the left side portion 54 to be recessed downward by a predetermined depth.

The right side portion 55 may extend upward from the right end of the bottom portion 51 by the same height as the left side portion 54. The right recess 551 may be formed in the right side portion 55 to be the same size as the left recess 541.

The left and

right recesses

541 and 551 may be understood as portions of a flow passage of air flowing toward the side end of the case 15 due to the heat dissipation fan 36. That is, the left and

right recesses

541 and 551 may be understood to be disposed to prevent the air flow forcibly flowed by the heat dissipation fan 36 from being interfered by the discharge case 50.

In addition, the air passing through the left and

right recesses

541 and 551 is in a state of increased temperature due to heat exchange with the heat sink 34. Accordingly, in a state in which humidity is increased by evaporating the condensed water stored in the drain tank 50, the high-temperature air flowing through the drain tank 50 is discharged to the outside of the case 15.

The port receiver 56 may protrude upward from the bottom 51 by a predetermined height. A recess 561 recessed from an upper end of the port receiver 56 by a predetermined depth D may be formed in the port receiver 56.

An end of the discharge port 111h extending from the bottom surface of the cabinet 11 is received in the recess 561. Therefore, the condensed water discharged from the discharge port 111h falls into the recess 561, and the condensed water overflowing from the recess 561 is collected in a main portion of the drain tank 50 defined by the bottom 51, the front 52, the rear 53, the left side 54, and the right side 55.

Since the end of the discharge port 111h remains immersed in the condensed water filled in the recess 561, air can be prevented from flowing from the housing 15 into the storage compartment 111 through the discharge port 111 h.

It is also possible to provide a means for draining the condensed water collected in the drain tank 50.

For example, a drain hose may be provided on one side of the bottom 51, and the drain hose may extend outwardly from the housing 15. Alternatively, a drain pump may be attached to one side of the drain tank 50, and a drain hose may extend from the drain pump to the outside of the housing 15.

As another method, an opening/closing port may be formed on a rear surface of the case 15, that is, on the opposite side of a surface in close contact with the front door 1, and the drain tank 50 may be slidably withdrawn from the case through the opening/closing port. With this arrangement, the lower end of the discharge port 111h is spaced from the upper end of the port receiver 56.

The discharge box 50 may be mounted on a bottom surface of the cabinet 11 so as to be slidably movable in a front-rear direction of the cabinet 11, and the protective cover may be rotatably mounted on the opening/closing port.

In other words, a receiving box for receiving the drain box 50 may be provided on a bottom surface of the cabinet 11 exposed to the inner space of the case 15, and a drawer structure in which the drain box 50 is slidably inserted into the receiving box may be provided.

Fig. 14 is a cut-away perspective view of the cool air supply device 30 of the inlet refrigerator 10 according to an embodiment.

The cool air supply device 30 shown in fig. 14 is the cool air supply device 30 cut by a vertical plane extending in the horizontal direction such that the front of the cool air supply device 30 is removed.

Referring to fig. 14, the cool air supply device 30 according to the present embodiment may include a thermoelectric element 31, a cold sink 32 attached to a heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 31, a heat absorbing fan 33 disposed in front of (or above) the cold sink 32, a hot sink 34 attached to a heat emitting surface of the thermoelectric element 31, a heat radiating fan 36 disposed behind (or below) the hot sink 34, and an insulation material 35 for preventing heat transfer between the cold sink 32 and the hot sink 34.

The heat insulating material 35 is provided to surround the side surfaces of the thermoelectric element 31. The cold sink 32 is in contact with the front surface of the insulation material 35, and the hot sink 34 is in contact with the rear surface of the insulation material 35.

In addition, the cold sink 32 and the hot sink 34 may include a heat conductor directly attached to the heat absorbing surface or the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element 31, respectively, and a plurality of heat exchange fins extending from the surface of the heat conductor.

The heat absorbing fan 33 is disposed to face the inside of the cabinet 11, and the heat radiating fan 36 is disposed directly above the suction plate 17.

The cold sink 32 includes a sink body 321 in direct contact with a heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 31 and a plurality of heat exchange fins 322 disposed on an upper surface of the sink body 321. The groove body 321 may include a first portion directly contacting the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element 31 and a second portion formed on an upper surface of the first portion and having an area larger than that of the first portion.

The heat tank 34 includes a tank body 341 directly contacting the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element 31, and a plurality of heat exchanger fins 342 disposed on the bottom surface of the tank body 341 and connected to the tank body 341 through a plurality of heat pipes 343. The groove body 341 may include a first portion directly contacting the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element 31 and a second portion formed on a bottom surface of the first portion and having an area larger than that of the first portion.

An insulating material 35 may be interposed between the second portion of the cold sink 32 and the second portion of the hot sink 34. The insulating material 35 may have a rectangular band shape.

The components of the cool air supplying device 30 other than the heat absorbing fan 33 and the heat radiating fan 36 may be defined as a thermoelectric module. The heat absorbing fan 33 may be fixedly coupled to the fan housing of the air guide 23, and the heat radiating fan 36 may be fixedly coupled to the suction plate 17 or the lower side of the thermoelectric module by one or more fastening screws.

The fastening bracket 38 may be coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the insulation material 35. The fastening bracket 38 may be understood as a mounting member that allows the thermoelectric module to be fixedly mounted on the bottom surface of the cabinet 11.

The sealing member 37 may surround an upper surface of the fastening bracket 38. The sealing member 37 is in close contact with the edge of the through hole 118 formed in the bottom of the cabinet 11. Accordingly, the sealing member 37 prevents air inside the storage compartment 111 from leaking to the inner space of the case 15.

Fig. 15 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the inlet refrigerator 10 taken along line 15-15 in fig. 10, and fig. 16 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the inlet refrigerator 10 taken along line 16-16 in fig. 10.

Referring to fig. 10, 15 and 16, there is a need for a drain structure that collects water falling onto the bottom of the storage compartment 111 or water formed on the surface of the cold sink 32 of the cold air supply device 30 at one place and discharges the water to the outside of the storage compartment 111.

To achieve this, the bottom surface of the storage compartment 111 may be inclined to one side.

The inner bottom surface of the cabinet 11 forming the bottom of the storage compartment 111 may include a front bottom plate 111a, a left bottom plate 111b, and a right bottom plate 111 c.

When the rear end of the mounting plate seating portion 117 has a structure spaced forward from the rear end of the storage compartment 111, a surface defined as a seating shoulder 111d may also be formed at the rear side of the bottom surface of the storage compartment 111.

The bottom surface of the storage compartment 111 may be designed to be inclined to be lowered toward the mounting plate seating portion 117. According to this structure, all water falling on the bottom of the storage compartment 111 flows down along the edge of the mounting plate seating portion 117.

In addition, the water flowing along the edge of the mounting plate seating portion 117 flows to the upper surface of the mounting plate 24 disposed on the mounting plate seating portion 117.

A discharge hole 243 (see fig. 9) is formed in the guide seating portion 241 of the mounting plate 24, and the guide seating portion 241 is formed to be inclined downward toward the discharge hole 243. Accordingly, the water flowing onto the mounting plate 24 is discharged through the discharge holes 243.

In addition, the water falling on the right guide seating part 241b formed at the right side of the through hole 242 of the mounting plate 24 flows toward the left guide seating part 241a along the upper surface of the bath body 321 of the cold bath 32. For this, the upper surface of the left end of the slot body 321 and the upper surface of the right end of the slot body 321 may be designed to form the same surface as the right edge of the left guide seating portion 241a and the left edge of the right guide seating portion 241b, respectively.

As another method, as described above, the discharge hole 243 may be formed in the right baffle seating portion 241 b. That is, the left and right

guide seating portions

241a and 241b may be symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane dividing the through-hole 242 from left and right.

The thermoelectric module may be installed to be inclined with respect to the cabinet 11 as shown in fig. 15 such that water formed on the surface of the cold sink 32 flows along the upper surface of the sink body 321 of the cold sink 32 toward the discharge holes 243 of the mounting plate 24.

In detail, at least the left edge of the groove body 321 of the cold groove 32 is coupled below the right edge such that water flowing downward on the upper surface of the groove body 321 flows toward the discharge hole 243.

With this arrangement, the upper surface of the tub body 321 and the upper surface of the right guide seating part 241b of the mounting plate 24 form a single inclined surface, so that water falling on the right guide seating part 241b flows along the upper surface of the tub body 321 and to the discharge hole 243. Alternatively, the thermoelectric module may be coupled to the cabinet such that a right edge of the slot body 321 is lower than a left edge of the right deflector seating portion 241b, and a right edge of the left deflector seating portion 241a is lower than a left edge of the slot body 321.

Since the left guide seating portion 241a of the mounting plate 24 is formed along the contour of the left discharge bottom plate 111e, the bottom surface of the left guide seating portion 241a of the mounting plate 24 may be in close contact with the upper surface of the left discharge bottom plate 111 e.

Similarly, since the right guide seating portion 241b of the mounting plate 24 is also formed along the contour of the right discharge bottom plate 111g, the bottom surface of the right guide seating portion 241b of the mounting plate 24 may be in close contact with the upper surface of the right discharge bottom plate 111 g.

Although the right end of the upper surface of the cold sink 32 is shown to be higher than the upper left end of the cold sink 32, if the discharge port 111h is provided in the right discharge floor 111g, the upper left end may be designed to be higher than the right end of the upper surface.

The discharge hole 111f is formed in the lower discharge bottom plate at the bottom surface of the mounting plate seating portion 117.

The discharge floor adjacent to the higher side end of the cold sink 32 may be defined as a first discharge floor, and the discharge floor adjacent to the lower side end may be defined as a second discharge floor.

As shown in fig. 15, the heat absorption fan 33 may be horizontally coupled to the fan housing 232 of the air guide 23 to be horizontally oriented and parallel to the ground (i.e., horizontal).

In fig. 15, the heat dissipation fan 36 is shown obliquely coupled to the underside of the thermoelectric module at a non-parallel angle (i.e., not horizontal) with respect to the ground. But the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, similar to the heat absorption fan 33, the heat dissipation fan 36 may be horizontally coupled to the lower side of the thermoelectric module to be oriented horizontally parallel to the ground (i.e., horizontal).

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Therefore, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing embodiments.

Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present disclosure.

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority from korean patent application No. 10-2019-0021867, filed on 25.2.2019, and korean patent application No. 10-2019-0086941, filed on 18.7.2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. An inlet refrigerator, comprising:

a cabinet configured to extend through a door or wall, the cabinet including a storage compartment therein for storing items, the cabinet including a through-hole disposed at a bottom of the cabinet;

a housing located at a lower side of the cabinet;

an outdoor side door coupled to an outdoor portion of the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment;

an indoor side door coupled to an indoor portion of the cabinet to open or close the storage compartment; and

a cold air supply configured to supply cold air to the storage compartment, at least a portion of the cold air supply extending through the through-hole in the bottom of the cabinet,

wherein the cool air supplier includes:

a thermoelectric module at least partially located within the through-hole in the bottom of the cabinet;

a heat absorption fan located above the thermoelectric module to provide an air flow within the storage compartment; and

a heat dissipation fan located below the thermoelectric module to provide an air flow within the housing,

wherein the thermoelectric module comprises:

a thermoelectric element having a heat-absorbing surface and a heat-generating surface;

a cold sink in contact with the heat absorbing surface, the cold sink configured to be exposed to air in the storage compartment to exchange heat with the air in the storage compartment; and

a thermal slot in contact with the heat generating surface, the thermal slot configured to be exposed to air in the housing to exchange heat with the air in the housing, and

wherein the thermoelectric module is obliquely arranged within the through-hole such that the heat absorbing surface is not parallel to a horizontal plane.

2. The entry refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the storage compartment comprises:

a main floor; and

a sub chassis disposed lower than the main chassis, the sub chassis having a through hole formed at a center thereof,

wherein the sub-floor includes:

a first discharge floor adjacent an upper end of the cold sink; and

a second discharge floor adjacent a lower end of the cold sink and

wherein a discharge hole is provided in the second discharge floor.

3. The inlet refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the first discharge floor slopes downwardly toward the cold sink.

4. The inlet refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the second drain floor slopes downwardly away from the cold sink and toward the drain hole.

5. The inlet refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the cold sink comprises:

a tank body in contact with the heat absorbing surface of the thermoelectric element; and

a plurality of heat exchange fins located on an upper surface of the tank body.

6. The inlet refrigerator of claim 5, wherein an upper surface of the first discharge floor and the upper surface of the tank main body form a continuous inclined surface.

7. The inlet refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the upper surface of the tank main body is stepped downward from an upper surface of the first discharge bottom plate, and

wherein an upper surface of the second drain floor is stepped downward from the upper surface of the tank main body.

8. The inlet refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the sub-floor is inclined downward toward the discharge hole.

9. The inlet refrigerator of claim 2, further comprising a mounting plate disposed on the sub-floor.

10. The inlet refrigerator of claim 9, wherein a bottom of the mounting plate follows a contour of the first and second discharge floors.

11. The inlet refrigerator of claim 10, wherein the bottom of the mounting plate comprises:

a mounting plate through-hole vertically aligned with the through-hole of the sub-base plate; and

a mounting plate discharge hole vertically aligned with the discharge hole of the subfloor.

12. The inlet refrigerator of claim 9, further comprising a baffle spaced upwardly from a bottom of the mounting plate, the baffle including a fan housing configured to receive the heat absorption fan therein,

wherein a cool air flow passage is provided between the bottom of the mounting plate and the guide member.

13. The inlet refrigerator of claim 12, further comprising a base plate on the main floor to cover the flow guide,

wherein a plurality of holes are provided in the substrate.

14. The inlet refrigerator of claim 13, further comprising a tray on an upper surface of the base plate,

wherein a plurality of holes are provided in the bottom of the tray.

15. The inlet refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the bottom of the tray is spaced apart from the upper surface of the base plate by a predetermined interval.

16. The inlet refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising:

a drain hole disposed in a bottom of the storage compartment; and

a discharge port extending from a bottom surface of the cabinet and communicating with the discharge hole.

17. The inlet refrigerator of claim 16 further comprising a drain tank at the bottom surface of the cabinet,

wherein the drain port is accommodated in the drain tank.

18. The inlet refrigerator of claim 17, further comprising a port receiver projecting upwardly from a bottom surface of the discharge bin,

wherein an upper end of the port receptacle includes a recess, an

Wherein a lower end of the discharge port is disposed in the recess.

19. The inlet refrigerator of claim 17, wherein the discharge bin extends in a front-to-rear direction of the cabinet, and

wherein air flow openings are provided in upper ends of left and right sides of the discharge box.

20. A refrigerator, comprising:

a cabinet configured to be located partially within a barrier of a building, the cabinet including a storage compartment therein, the cabinet having a first opening into the storage compartment and a second opening into the storage compartment, the second opening being spaced apart from the first opening, the cabinet including a through-hole disposed at a bottom of the cabinet;

a housing located at a lower side of the cabinet;

a first door coupled to the cabinet to open or close the first opening;

a second door coupled to the cabinet to open or close the second opening;

wherein the cool air supplier includes:

wherein the thermoelectric module comprises: